Secure, reliable, and automated transfer of information over computer networks is often essential to successful operation of a business. Many businesses implement information transfer monitoring systems such as network monitoring systems that monitor not only intra-company information systems, but that also extends monitoring capabilities outside of the company to customers, vendors/suppliers, financial institutions, business partners, governmental and regulatory agencies, and other business-related entities. The monitored information or data can be structured or non-structured and can reside in files that may be as small as individual insurance claims or as large as multi-gigabyte files such as, for example, complex CAD-CAM drawings, consolidated financial data, or database backups to disaster recovery sites.
For example, in the financial services industry, business processes such as securities clearing and settlement, electronic funds transfer (EFT), automated clearing house (ACH), credit card processing, and cash management require secure, reliable, and automated data transfers. Other business processes that involve secure data transfer include, for example, telecom (billing), retail (inventory updates), and insurance (claims processing). Ensuring secure, reliable, and automated data transfers is often essential to service level agreements, regulatory requirements and associated penalties, and organizational production schedules.
Network and data transfer monitoring activities are often performed based on monitoring criteria. Monitoring criteria are used to inform a network monitoring system of the data transfers or file transfers that are scheduled to occur at particular times and the type of monitoring required for the transfers. Monitoring criteria are typically created or defined by information technology (IT) personnel who have access to details regarding network operations and data transfer operations. Over time, as data transfers are created, changed, or eliminated, monitoring criteria may become outdated or obsolete. IT personnel must manually update or maintain the monitoring criteria to ensure accurate network and data transfer monitoring. Growing business entities and expanding networks often result in increased data transfers that increase the need to maintain and create monitoring criteria. Overlooking data transfers or failing to maintain or create monitoring criteria increases the likelihood of data transfer errors and/or network failures.